Parents support TeeKid

[epp_b]

"...'My son is not brilliant; he's not genius,' Rita Parson said. 'Anyone that has any computer knowledge could have done what Jeff did. It doesn't take a level of genius to do this.'..."(Source)What a load of crap! My grandmother has a little bit of computer knowledge (which counts as "any"). I highly doubt she'd be able to write or modify a worm (that is, if she knew what a worm was...)Obviosly, this guy's mom isn't someone that "has any computer knowledge"

[havnblast]

I take it that she was generalizing to population. If someone wants to do it bad enough, they will a way to do it, besides, wouldn't your mom stick up for you too?

[ibe98765]

"...'My son is not brilliant; he's not genius,' Rita Parson said. 'Anyone that has any computer knowledge could have done what Jeff did. It doesn't take a level of genius to do this.'..."(Source)What a freakin' load of crap!  My grandmother has a little bit of computer knowledge (which counts as "any").  I highly doubt she'd be able to write or modify a worm (that is, if she knew what a worm was...)

MSN was running an "exclusive" interview with this kid today. Basically, he said that he didn't know what he was doing was illegal and he just wanted to return to high school [sniff].This from a computer geek who had 7 or 8 computers at home and also had the capability to modify worm code? I don't think so. I see big fine and some jail time in his future...

[Prelude76]

hes party right. he's not the brilliant CAUSE of this worm; he just changed it to a different name and changes some comments. doesnt take too much knowledge to do this, but it takes more than normal kid SHOULD know. plus i saw his website (it was cached thanx to google), and he had a couple of other viruses/worms made specifically to spread thru kazaa P2P network, so its not an isolated incident. basically, the kid isnt a genius, just a NERD. the real geniuses is the MULTIPLE hackers from a chinese team that reverse engineering MS patch and made original Blaster worm, but they didnt catch them. what makes me think this 18 year old kid was real dumb was he tested his version of the worm on his DAD's web hosting account. mark that down to pure stupidity. but if the world thinks they are safer with this kid behind bars, they're as stupid as he is, since the ORIGINAL worm creators are the real threat to the internet.still, anyone with 7 computers has some REAL issues in life, except Scot, coz he's a software reviewer.

[epp_b]

I take it that she was generalizing to population.  If someone wants to do it bad enough, they will a way to do it, besides, wouldn't your mom stick up for you too?

In this case, probably not. She knows enough to know that it is wrong and illegal, and would want to see that the crime is paid for. Would your mom stand up for you if you robbed a bank? I know mine wouldn't. It's called tough love.

[Freddy]

His parents should have been standing behind him while he was modifying the virus instead of after he got caught.

[Prelude76]

His parents should have been standing behind him while he was modifying the virus instead of after he got caught.

that's a bit of a stretch of imagination. how many kids like having their parents look over their shoulders while their on the computer? anyone? D***, i dont even like when my boss at work looks over my shoulders. and even if they did, how could the parents know what he was doing? you could do a simple "hide file" to trick most parents, so i bet his parents didnt know he was working on and testing a worm.dont blame his parents, but also this media hype about the FBI busting down a Worm Writer, its all just for good PR to make people think the FBI is making the internet more secure. as i mentioned before, the REAL masterminds of this particular worm are still at large. this kid just took what someone else created, and RENAMED the MSBLAST.EXE file to some other name. not really rocket-science thinking, more like stupid thinking.this was the blaster.B variant, and the B variant infected just 7,000 computers, not millions like the first, and there already is a C, D and E variant, and none of those people have been caught either. this is similar to RIAA busting down a college kid trading mp3 files and saying they put a dent into file swapping. its all a joke, a media circus, copyrighted by CNN and Fox nightly news to distract the atention AWAY from iraq et al.

[Freddy]

Obviously my prior message shouldn't be taken literally. No parent should live their children's lives for them. But then again, not monitoring your child's activities because he is 'not smart enough', isn't too bright.I bet the computers don't even have any av software runnning.

[ibe98765]

His parents should have been standing behind him while he was modifying the virus instead of after he got caught.

dont blame his parents....this was the blaster.B variant, and the B variant infected just 7,000 computers, not millions like the first, and there already is a C, D and E variant, and none of those people have been caught either. this is similar to RIAA busting down a college kid trading mp3 files and saying they put a dent into file swapping. its all a joke, a media circus, copyrighted by CNN and Fox nightly news to distract the atention AWAY from iraq et al.

Puh-leeze...His parents should be the first one's to blame. Clearly, they didn't teach this child correctly or effectively the difference between wrong and right, about taking responsibility for your actions or about suffering the consequences of your actions. Maybe they should go to jail also or maybe pay a fine that would require them to take a second mortgage on thier home to pay off?He impacted 7000 computers and who knows how many users and businesses! Doesn't that mean anything to you? If he impacted even ONE computer system, then that is one too many. Maybe changing to another example might help you understand better? What if a drunk driver with a history of prior violations hit 7 cars, including yours? No one was seriously hurt but everyone was inconvenienced. Some missed business appointments and maybe lost a business contract. Would you then take the view that since he ONLY hit 7 cars and he probably didn't mean to, let's just slap him on the wrist and let him go? Or should he have known that drinking and driving is a bad mix with the potential for serious problems? And please, don't make the standard rebuttal that this analogy is too different to apply. Yes, he is only one small part of the problem. But he got caught and therefore needs to pay the price. Hopefully, the FBI will find clues or links to additional suspects when they tear apart the data on his systems. I do think it will be better for society to take away his computers, make him serve some jail time (say maybe 1-2 years?) and make him pay a fine that might partially be used to reimburse identifiable victims for their losses in time and business. Hopefully, this will set an example for some others.

[Prelude76]

Parson claimed his role in the attacks had been greatly exaggerated and his actions relatively benign despite the government’s focus on them.    “I am extremely concerned that the government is trying to make an example of me,†Parson said. “I understand that the government needs to catch someone for these crimes. I’m not the one they need to get!†   Parson’s parents said they believe the federal government, specifically Attorney General John Ashcroft, have trampled on their son’s rights in order to address America’s frustrations with cyber terrorism and hold him accountable for someone else’s crime. Bob and Rita Parson said they understand why examples need to be made, but that this example could cost them their son.    ‘THEY KEPT ON ASKING ME TO HELP’    Parson said he first met with investigators from the Secret Service and the FBI about two weeks ago.    “They told me that they needed my help in catching the author of Blaster, and knew that I had sent a variant of the virus out. We had at least four meetings with investigators and they were really nice and hospitable. I didn’t think that I had done anything serious.†       The agents never read him his Miranda rights and investigators told him that if he cooperated fully, things would be much easier on him, Parson said.    “They told me I didn’t need a lawyer, and they kept on asking me to help, so I did, completely.†   When asked about Parson’s allegations that he was never asked if he wanted a lawyer and never read his rights, a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s office where Parson was charged told NBC News, “no commentâ€.    Parson said he signed numerous statements after the agents told him it was a formality that they needed to take care of as they enlisted his help in catching what they called the “big fish†behind the Blaster attacks. Parson said he doesn’t know who that was, nor was he involved with the main worm attacks in any way.    The government’s tone began to change, the Parsons allege, following a request for Jeffrey to travel to Seattle to continue assisting investigators there. Parson would not agree without assurances that his parents would be able to remain by his side.    It was then that Bob Parson heard the news on the radio. “I heard they were arresting an 18 year old in Hopkins. I woke Jeff up and said, ‘I think they’re coming after you.’†   Parson grabbed his “Big Daddy†T-shirt, the one clean shirt he could find in a hurry, and a pair of shorts as investigators knocked on his door to execute the arrest. His family now regrets that wardrobe, as they fear it didn’t help his public image. Parson said that when he was arrested one of the agents involved in the case said “I’m sorry we’re doing this, but it comes down from the very top.â€

this was clipped from MSNBC news.it falls right into the theory of this being just an 'example' to show FBI doing something, when in reality, the FBI is friggin' useless. they were asking him about who wrote original worm, when ANYONE could get access to original worm once its in the wild.if it all makes you feel better to sleep at night knowing this 18 year old kid is doing hard time 10 years in prison, go right ahead, but you really wont be 'safer'. put the blame on microsoft, $50 billion in the bank and still release software with such a HUGE hole, firewalls disabled by default, and administrative rights ON by default. or blame all the fools who didnt update their computers or have ANY firewall or anti virus installed. but to put full blame on a KID who did a stupid mistake (think back to when you were 18 and tell me you never did something stupid back then), well thats a bit ignorant.basically, an 18 year old's life is now in ruins, so is his parents lives, the FBI and Mr. Ashroft and Mr Bush can 'claim' to be saviors of the internet, and the rest of us will just sit and wait for the next major windows security hole and next wave of worms. oh, and i especially love how the FBI knew about this kid 2 weeks ago, and timed it right and made a big show out of it how they caught the guy. next, i'm sure America's Most Wanted will do a special expose on this one as well. and all along, the real virus writer is still out there. probably having tea with Osama and Saddam.

[epp_b]

if it all makes you feel better to sleep at night knowing this 18 year old kid is doing hard time 10 years in prison, go right ahead, but you really wont be 'safer'.

I don't feel that way. But this guy still committed a crime, I don't care if he's not the original writer. However, I think a good long period of counselling might do better than prison time.

put the blame on microsoft, $50 billion in the bank and still release software with such a HUGE hole, firewalls disabled by default, and administrative rights ON by default.

Usually I don't defend Microsoft, but they were in the right on this one. They release a patch a MONTH before the virus was even active.

or blame all the fools who didnt update their computers or have ANY firewall or anti virus installed.

I blame the fools

but to put full blame on a KID who did a stupid mistake (think back to when you were 18 and tell me you never did something stupid back then), well thats a bit ignorant.

18 is not a kid. 18 is an adult. Either way, it doesn't matter: I don't think full blame should be put on him, but, like I said, he still committed a crime. It makes NO difference if your 18 or 48 -- one should know better than to do such a stupid thing. But looking at Google's Cached Version of his site, he's a plain moron by opening distributing viruses and worms off of his site.

basically, an 18 year old's life is now in ruins, so is his parents lives

Like I said 18, one should know better. Why should his parents have to deal with it? He should be living on his own and bringing home is own bacon by now.

[Prelude76]

I blame the fools18 is not a kid.  18 is an adult.  Like I said 18, one should know better.  Why should his parents have to deal with it?  He should be living on his own and bringing home is own bacon by now.

yeah, i blame the fools too. however, 18 is still very young, especially in the States. i mean, cripes, you can't even drink booze until you're 21! and 18, one should be living on his own? woah, its not 1950 anymore. I myself moved out the earliest out of all my friends and brothers, at the age of 22. everyone else moved out between 23 and 28 years of age. one is almost 30 and still living at home. kinda hard to pay for a $200,000 house or $1,500 rent in Toronto when making $12/hour, i guess. i mean, i bring in mid-20 $ per hour, and i am barely managing a $120,000 mortgage. and with skyrocketing hydro, natural gas, gasoline, water, property taxes, car insurance and what not, i almost wish i could move back home myself. still, bottom line: the kid was an idiot, the people that didnt install the well-adverised patch are idiots, and everyone else running a Windows-based computer without a firewall is an idiot as well. and the FBI are idiots as well for even thinking that this kid will lead them to the source. pleazzzze this.

[havnblast]

blame the parents?? OMG parents can't do nothing right in today's world. The kid does something and it's the parents fault. I agree if you have a pet dog and it bites someone than the owner is in the wrong, but not a 18 year old.MS offered the patch - it was advertised and advertised to get it and yet people don't. Granted that if there was no viruses in the world people wouldn't have to worry about that, but like with anything else a person has you have to take care of it and maintain it. I really don't think you can put the blame on anyone, but the person that creates software to exploit the bugs in the operating system. My 2 cents

[Freddy]

And if his virus took advantage of an unknown vulnerability? In this case it was preventable, what about all those kiddies treading where none have been before?Makes you wonder if Microsoft is right in considering forcing patches onto some systems. People could classify themselves as novice to expert and the level of force onto which a patch is applies is based on that. It is still scary what would happen if the patch is buggy tho.

[Prelude76]

forget forced patches. i hate the idea.compare this to a car, and the car has a recall to fix something. you'd be stupid not to go and get it fixed for free at a dealership, but if they made everyone go and do MANDATORY recall, where your car automatically drives itself to a dealership to get fixed, no one would vote for that.

blame the parents?? OMG parents can't do nothing right in today's world. The kid does something and it's the parents fault.

true, you cant put all the blame on parents, but surely SOME of the blame is theirs. i mean, an 18 year old with SEVEN computers? SEVEN?!? i'm sick and tired of parents NOT being blamed when kids run amock and do crime or whatever. my parents were from the old school of thought, very strict, and with any luck i will be the same when i have kids. way too many kids have full control over their parents these days (i want this, i want that, i want a seventh computer, NOW!).

[Freddy]

People tend not to forget to change their oil, and if they do, eventually the car stops working. After all, patching is more like maintenance.

[ibe98765]

Another story here:http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973...,1234663,00.asp

[Guest ThunderRiver]

I will just wait and see how things go. I do not agree that the gov should make an example out of that kid. Besides, that kid is not the original author for the virus. Plus you can get the original blaster code readily everywhere, so it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to find the code.Unfortunately, the kid is 18, and he can be tried as an adult, so it is unlucky for him. He could well be the second Kevin Mitnick except he is not as smart as Kevin.

[ibe98765]

I will just wait and see how things go. I do not agree that the gov should make an example out of that kid. Besides, that kid is not the original author for the virus. Plus you can get the original blaster code readily everywhere, so it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to find the code.Unfortunately, the kid is 18, and he can be tried as an adult, so it is unlucky for him. He could well be the second Kevin Mitnick except he is not as smart as Kevin.

What is it with some of you people who seem to believe that someone does not have to take responsibility and suffer the consequense of their actions? If you take your chances doing something that is wrong AND you get caught, then you have to pay the price. Ignorance of the law, lack of common sense and/or stupidity are excuses and should not exclude anyone from punishment. If more people in this country would accept that they are responsible for their actions, we would be a lot better off.

[Stryder]

ibe, I could not agree more. Good post. The kid knew what he was doing. Just because he was not the original author does not mean he did not use the worm in an illegal manner.

[JerryM]

He did the crime, and now he should do the time. I think 5 years should be sufficient to make the point.It isn't germane to say that others have done worse, and the govt. should not make an example of this brat. He commited a crime that cost those who had the 7000 computers time and money.Make an example of him, and if others are caught make an example of them also. I'm sick of people who do not want to accept responsibility for their actions, no matter what the impact on others. So his life is damaged. Be advised that there are many actions that take place in seconds which impact or ruin lives.Jerry

[Prelude76]

He commited a crime that cost those who had the 7000 computers time and money.Make an example of him, and if others are caught make an example of them also. I'm sick of people who do not want to accept responsibility for their actions,  no matter what the impact on others.

true, he commited a crimebut he did not cost 7,000 computer users time and money. those 7,000 computer users took 'shortcuts' by not taking time to apply patches, taking time and money to apply firewalls. its their own fault they lost 'time and money'. if you leave your car door open and engine running when you go to a store, and come back to find your car is missing, you deserve what happens.i'm with thunderriver on this one. i for one never wish 5+ years of jail on anyone. most people who think "just throw him to jail" dont seem to realize how long 5 years locked up is. i mean, people get that for stabbing others. this was a kid who did something stupid. maybe a few years probation and no access to any computers during probation would be more of a benefit to everyone.p.s. - why dont we hunt down whoever was responsible for causing the blackout a few weeks back? it cost 50 million people time and money. every restaurant had to throw out so much food, grocery stores lost thousands, i personally lost $300 in food and lost time. i cant remember last time a silly virus or worm caused me $300 damage. but the blackout was blamed on new york, then ontario, then ohio, and now no one cares, they're all so much more concerted on catching this blaster master.

[havnblast]

If more people in this country would accept that they are responsible for their actions, we would be a lot better off.

I couldn't agree more with that.